Free Chlorine at 22.5ppm and cannot get it down

[wendi.thacker]

This is our 2nd season with our pool. I use TFP test kits and have replaced the reagents I was low on or read expired this season. Everything is kept inside the house.

We are getting to the end of our season (we have a heater so that extends it a bit) and we’re planning a swim this weekend before closing it up.
I have to be honest and say, I’ve neglected the testing over the last 3 wks. We have an automatic cover and we’ve been traveling a lot and I just didn’t get around to it. I also made a doozy of a mistake and forgot to turn the chlorinator down/off while it was covered, little sun, and we weren’t using it.
I opened it up 3 days ago to get things in order before this weekend and could smell the chlorine right away. Immediately turned chlorinator off, filter speed up, brushed walls, and grabbed some water to test. FC was 35. Drained some water off, refilled with hose, tested again, 30. Rinse/Repeat 2 more times over 2 days. Last night I drained more than I normal would and refilled. FC is still testing at 22.5! I’m so frustrated I could scream! Is there nothing I can do to get the chlorine down?
My other numbers are as follows:
FC: 22.5
CC: .5
PH: 7.5
TA: 80
CH: 350
CYA: 50
Pool temp is 74

 

[Newdude]

I have to be honest and say, I’ve neglected the testing over the last 3 wks

SWGs are GREAT, huh ?

Just turn the swg off and wait it out. My own daily loss just fell off a cliff recently from 40% to 20%, then 10% a few days later. I just checked after a week and I was still out producing the loss so I shut it off. It's going to be 77 here tomorrow before getting seasonal again but I'm a low teen so I'm still plenty covered.

 

[wendi.thacker]

SWGs are GREAT, huh ?

Just turn the swg off and wait it out. My own daily loss just fell off a cliff recently from 40% to 20%, then 10% a few days later. I just checked after a week and I was still out producing the loss so I shut it off. It's going to be 77 here tomorrow before getting seasonal again but I'm a low teen so I'm still plenty covered.

Thanks! Waiting is hard,
With the numbers I posted, is it safe for my teens to swim in it? It’s going to be 80 today.

 

[JamesW]

If you really want to get it down some, you can add 7 quarts of 3% hydrogen peroxide to lower it by 10 ppm.

 

[Newdude]

Slam FC, 40% of your CYA, is safe for swimmers and equipment and if it's warm today it will likely be close enough for government work to 20 FC (for your 50 CYA).

 

[wendi.thacker]

If you really want to get it down some, you can add 7 quarts of 3% hydrogen peroxide to lower it by 10 ppm.

Any particular method to dumping it in?

 

[JamesW]

Just add it in front of a return like you would add liquid chlorine or acid.

Brush the pool and then retest in about 15 minutes.

 

[Bperry]

Any particular method to dumping it in?

You don’t need to add that. Your chlorine is just barely above SLAM level and by the time you read this it’ll be below SLAM and fine to swim. Anything below 20ppm is fine to swim with your CYA level of 50.

 

[Mdragger88]

Bonus- you won’t need to do much to close being as you’re at slam level now. Unless you think your ph has gotten really high. The ph test is invalid at fc levels above 10ppm so you would need to wait until it falls to check.
If you generally don’t have much ph rise then it may not be of any concern.

 

[JamesW]

Did it work?